Container



p 1936- J. M HOTHERSALL 2,055,493

CONTAINER Filed Aug. 2, 1954 Patented Sept. 29, 1936 CONTAINER John M. Hothersall, Brooklyn, N. Y., 'assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New Jersey Application August 2, 1934, Serial No. 738,152

Claims.

Thepresent invention relates to containers for flexible safety razor blades and has particular reference to one piece compartment containers in which means are provided for disposing of blades which have been used.

An object of the invention is the provision of a container for safety razor blades which is formed from a single piece of material having a portion which is set off as a partition for dividing the container into two compartments, one of which is utilized for holding unused blades which are adapted to be withdrawn for use from an open end of the compartment while the other compartment is adapted to receive used blades and to hold them captive against escape.

Another object is the provision in such a container of a compartment dividing partition having spring elements associated therewith which are self-adjusting to hold one or more than one blade in either compartment.

Another object is the provision of an inexpensive container which is adapted to hold a' supply of unused blades, which provides a place of disposal for used blades and which may be readily discarded after use without danger of the used blades becoming separated from the containe and causing damage.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the container inverted showing the bottom, side and end walls which are not shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank from which the container is formed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken substantially through the center of the container; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken substan tially along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

As a preferred embodiment of the invention the drawing illustrates a rectangular shaped flat container or package which is divided into upper and lower compartments by a partition .formed as an integral part of the container. It is preferably formed from a single blank [2 (Fig. 3) of sheet metal which is bent along predetermined lines to provide the various necessary walls and wall sections.

The container when formed from the blank l2 comprises a bottom wall l3 which merges into a vertical side wall l4 and a wall section [5, these being formed by bending the blank l2 up and at right angles to the bottom wall indicated by par- 5 allel dotted lines a, b in Fig. 3. A horizontal top wall It connects with the side wall i4 along one longitudinal corner and is formed by bending the blank at right angles to the side wall indicated by dotted line 0.

The side wall section I5 extends approximately one third of the distance between the bottom wall l3 and the top wall l5 and is bent inwardly at right angles as indicated by dotted line d. This bending sets off and disposes partition I1 inside of the container dividing. it into an upper compartment I8 and a lower compartment IQ for a purpose hereinafter explained.

A side wall section 2| cooperates with the side wall section l5 to provide a side wall of the same height as the wall l4. Wall section 2| is formed by bending the blank at right angles to the top wall l5 along line e. The wall part 2| is supported on top of the partition I! and in alignment with the wall I5.

The bottom edge of the wall 2| is bent inwardly at ,f forming a flange 22. Flange 22 may be secured to the partition in any suitable manner as by soldering or welding or if desired it may rest loosely thereon if there is sumcient stiffness of the structure to hold the parts together.

The container is completely formed by bending the end portions of the blank into position. One end of the container is entirely closed by a two piece inclosure comprising a wall section 23 which extends up from the bottom wall l3 and a wall section 24 which depends from the top wall l6. Walls 23, 24 are brought into cooperating position by bending the blank along lines g and h, respectively. 40

The other or forward end of the container is only partially closed by a wall 25 which extends up from the bottom wall l3. This wall is brought into the proper position by bending the blank along line 7'. The wall 25 extends as far as the partition 11 and overlaps its forward edge. This substantially covers the end of the lower compartment but does not extend in the front of the upper compartment.

The upper compartment I8 is utilized for hold- 5 ing a supply of unused blades 28 (Figs. 4 and 5) which are confined between the top wall l5 and the partition l1. These blades may be wrapped in paper in the customary commercial manner. The forward end of the compartment is open to facilitate this removal.

The blades are held within the compartment l8 and against accidental removal by spring fingers 3|. There are two of these fingers and they are struck out from the partition I! adjacent its longitudinal edges. The fingers project into the compartment and engage against the bottom of the lowermost blade 28 in the stack and press all the blades that are in that compartment toward the top wall l6 thereby frictionally holding them in.

The lower compartment [9 is utilized as a place of disposal for used blades. This compartment is substantially enclosed, the only means of entrance for the blades being adjacent the end wall 25 at the intersection of its top edge and the partition IT. The top edge of end wall 25 is arched as at 32 (Figs. 1, 3, and 5) formingopenings at the sides of the arch into which a corner of the blade may be inserted. Using the blade as a lever with the arch as a fulcrum, the partition I1 is sprung up enough to permit the blade to pass between it and the curved edge 32.

When fully inserted in the compartment the blade is trapped and cannot escape as the partition springs back into its original position as soon as the blade clears the curved edge 32. At the same time the blade within the compartment is engaged by a spring finger 33 which is similar to the fingers 3| and which like them is struck out from the partition wall being between the fingers 3|. This finger 33 presses the blades against the bottom wall l3 and holds it below the entrance opening and out of the way of subsequently inserted blades.

In this manner the used blades may be kept separate from the unused blades while the-conits attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoingfldescription, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made'in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A'one piece sheet metalpackage for razor blades, comprising a sheet metal blank bent to form top and bottom walls and opposite pairs of vertical walls all integrally connected together, one edge of the blank terminating intermediate a vertical wall, another portion of said blank constituting the remaining part of said last mentioned vertical wall and abutting against the aforesaid terminal edge, said blank portion being bent sharply inwardly at the point of abutment to constitute a partition member within said package spaced from the top and bottom walls thereof and dividing the interior of the package into separate superposed compartments for new and used razor blades respectively.

2. A one piece sheet metal package for razor blades, comprising a sheet metal blank bent to form' top and bottom walls and side and end walls all integrally connected together, one edge of the blank terminating intermediate one of the side walls, another portion of said blank constituting the remaining part of said last mentioned form top and bottom walls and opposite pairs of vertical walls all integrally connected together, one edge of the blank terminating intermediate a vertical wall, another portion of said blank constituting the remaining part of said last mentioned vertical wall and abutting against the aforesaid terminal edge, said blank portion being bent sharply inwardly at the point of abutment to constitute a partition member within said package spaced from the top and bottom walls thereof and dividing the interior of the package into separate superposed compartments for new and used razor blades respectively, one of said walls having a curved edge cooperating with an edge of said partition member to provide an opening through which a razor blade may be inserted into the package, said curved edge confining said inserted blade within the package.

4. A one piece sheet metal package for razor blades, comprising a sheet metal blank bent to form top and bottom walls and side and end walls all integrally connected together, one edge of the blank terminating intermediate one of the side walls, another portion of said blank constituting the remaining part of said last mentioned side wall and abutting against the aforesaid terminal edge, said blank portion being bent sharply inwardly at the point of abutment to constitute a resilient partition member within said package spaced from the top and bottom walls thereof and dividing the interior of the package into separate superposed compartments for new and used razor blades respectively, and integrally formed resilient members struck from and extending out of the plane of said partition member for yieldably confining razor blades in a said compartment.

5. A one piece sheet metal package for razor blades, comprising a sheet metal blank bent to form. top and bottom walls and opposite pairs of vertical walls all integrally connected together, one edge of the blank terminating intermediate a vertical wall, another portion of said blank constituting the remaining part of said last mentioned vertical wall and abutting against the aforesaid terminal edge, said blank portion beingbent sharply inwardly at the point of abutment to constitute a partition member within said package spaced from the top and bottom walls thereof and dividing the interior of the package into separate superposed compartments for new and used razor blades respectively, and resilient members extending out of the plane of said partition member for yieldably confining razor blades in a said compartment.

JOHN M. HOTHERSALL. 

